Renata's Carrot Soup

Renata_Collective-Carrot Ginger Soup

Carrots are such a wonderful source of Vit A (beta carotene) – so good for our eyes. They are also a good source of several B vitamins, as well as vitamin K, potassium and lutein which is also good for eye health and is an antioxidant. Carrots are a source of fiber and are low in fat. Cooking carrots in a soup retains all these amazing nutrients!

This lovely smooth, soothing, healthy carrot soup recipe was given to me by my dear friend Julia years ago. I have made some changes to it to make it vegetarian and a little spicy (added garlic, lemon and curry powder). Julia’s delicious recipe is at the bottom – give it a try too!  What follows is my vegetarian/vegan version.

Prep time: 15 Minutes / Cook Time: 30 Minutes / Completion Time: 5 Minutes / Number of Servings: 8

Renata_Collective-Carrot Ginger Soup - Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  • 8-10 Carrots – scrubbed if organic, peeled if not – sliced

  • 1 large yellow Cooking Onion – diced

  • 3 cloves Garlic - sliced

  • 3 tsp fresh Ginger – grated

  • 1 tsp Curry Powder (optional but very tasty if you like curry!)

  • 7 cups Vegetable Stock or Bouillon (I make my own veggie bouillon powder)

  • 1 tsp Lemon Zest (see Tip here)

  • 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice (see Tip here)

  • ½ cup Apple Cider or Orange Juice

  • Salt and Pepper – to taste

  • Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Hemp Hearts – for garnish

HOW IT’S MADE:

  • In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

  • Add the carrots and onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring so the onion does not burn and the carrot softens slightly.

  • Stir in the garlic, grated ginger and curry powder (if using) and cook another 2 minutes – stirring to make sure the garlic and onions do not burn.

  • Add the vegetable broth/bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer gently for 30 minutes until the carrots are soft.

  • With a hand-held immersion blender, puree the mixture in the pot until it is smooth. Alternately you can process the soup in a blender in small batches.

  • Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and apple cider (or orange juice). Stir the soup.

  • Season with salt and pepper and adjust to your taste.

  • Serve in pretty bowls and garnish each with 1 tsp of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and hemp hearts. 

Enjoy!   

Variations:

  • You can use ghee instead of olive oil.

  • If you want some texture to your smooth soup, add some cooked rice or quinoa to the soup once it is finished being blended, stir and simmer on a very low heat for 5 minutes to allow the rice/quinoa to warm up.

  •  Julia’s original recipe – which is delicious:

  • 1 Tbsp Butter

  • 8 Carrots – sliced

  • 1 medium Spanish onion – diced

  • 2 tsp fresh Ginger – grated

  • 4 cups Chicken Stock or Broth

  • ½ tsp grated Orange Rind

  • ½ cup Orange Juice

  • 1 cup Cream or Milk (optional)

  • Salt and Pepper – to taste

  • Follow the instructions as above for my vegetarian version.  Enjoy!